Urban Food and Fuel Production

[kazz67]

Thanks Mad!! Love ya loads.

So much of my own inspiration comes from Cuba and how they managed to survive there by the power of community! Amazing, insirational stuff.
Thanks Jack. Love you loads too!!

Light n... umm.... yeah, that's it, love!
Kazz. xxxx

[freemanjack]

Well, we are coming to another Autumn and the growing season is ebbing away. My first stumbling attempts this year have been slim pickings for a family of six. I have learned a lot in this year tho, considering my level of experience I have found myself ill equiped to fully comprehend the magnitude of difficulties that faced me. Taking on urban permaculture means becoming conversant in the husbandry of dozens of food plants and expert in your soil and it's needs. The main lesson this year has been that of planning and getting an early start. Because of the odd weather we have had this year, following planting guides on the packets has left much I have grown too late to flower and fruit. This autumn I plan on applying a deep surface mulch as I have found this year that putting it on in spring is too late. It needs the bugs and worms to do their stuff during the winter. I will be raising beans and peas etc from jan or feb this year to try to jump start production much sooner in the year. If I had to survive on what I could grow, this year I would have starved. We need to practice this and become expert if we are to survive the ebb and flow of societies collapse. I urge all of you here with so much as a sunny windowsill, to start freeing yourself from the tyranny that can be forced upon us if we cannot even feed ourselves.
freemanjack, NOT an ecomentalist.

[madlookin]

good post jack....experience is the key...my other half planted quite abit..but due to the bad quality soil there was no real produce...

[freemanjack]

I think the key to soil quality is down to the bugs and fungi. Could try grabbing a bag of loose soil from the woods over the land, Mad. Kinda lace some compost with it and leave it to over winter. Mix the resulting energised compost with more compost and spread on the surface of the soil. If the existing soil is hard caked dig it in a little. This way you should introduce a myriad of micro life to the soil without intrusive digging to disturb the structure of the soil. You need a wormery for your gaffe Mad. You would be amazed at how quick the little buggers munch through all those veggie peelings.
fmj.